Classic dating game returns

Bachelorette Ashley Lauterbach asks the audience which bachelor to keep during The Dating Game in Loftin Feb. 11. Bachelor No. 1 business administration freshman Edward Rico was the first to be eliminated followed by bachelor No. 2 film sophomore Jake Pearson. Bachelor No. 3 RTVB freshmen Drew Sandoval won the date with Lauterbach. Photo by Jon Hernandez

Prizes include an Amazon Echo and candy.

By Mario Parker Menchaca III

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

This college will be hosting its version of ABC’s classic game show “The Dating Game” at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria in Loftin Student Center.

Students can volunteer to participate in the Valentine’s Day icebreaker.

In the TV version, a bachelor or bachelorette quizzed three contestants who were seated behind a wall and hidden from view.

The bachelor picked a contestant based on their answers, and the game show paid for their date.

This college’s “dating game” will have similar staging and questioning of contestants.

Students are not pressured to go on a date with their match.

The contestants chosen for a date will each receive a free Amazon Echo. Consolation prizes include Valentine’s candy.

In an interview Feb. 3, Dr. Barbara Knotts, chair of the department of creative multimedia, described some of the questions from previous years.

“It is a mixer of both shy and outgoing students,” she said. “It is a lot of fun to hear their responses and see the audience interact.”

Students are provided a list of questions starting with simple subjects such as favorite foods and music.

The questions become more thought-provoking, such as “Which Disney character describes you?”

The college’s game show usually ends with a flirtatious question, like “Which would you rather receive: candy, flowers or a kiss?” and “Why should I pick you over the other contestants?”

Knotts could not confirm if any of the matches made in previous “Dating Game” events on this campus have led to lasting relationships.

The Black Student Alliance has presented the mock game show for the past five years, but the club is not active this semester, Knotts said.

The Black History Month Committee will sponsor “The Dating Game” this year.